The Ōsumi and Tokara Islands, the northernmost of the islands, fall under the cultural sphere of the Kyushu region of Japan; local inhabitants speak a variation of theKagoshima dialect of Japanese. The Amami, Okinawa, Miyako, andYaeyama Islands have a native population collectively called theRyukyuan people, named for the formerRyukyu Kingdom (1429–1875) that ruled them. The variedRyukyuan languages are traditionally spoken on these islands, and the major islands have their own distinct languages. In modern times, the Japanese language has been the primary language of the islands, with theOkinawan Japanese dialect prevalently spoken. The outlyingDaitō Islands were uninhabited until theMeiji period, when their development was started mainly by people from theIzu Islands south ofTokyo, with the people there speaking theHachijō language.[citation needed]
The Ryukyu islands are commonly divided into two or three primary groups:
either administratively, with the Northern Ryukyus being the islands in Kagoshima Prefecture (known in Japanese as the "Satsunan Islands") and the Southern Ryukyus being the islands in Okinawa Prefecture (known in Japanese as the "Ryukyu Islands"),
or geographically, with the islands north of the Tokara Strait (Ōsumi and Tokara) being the Northern Ryukyus, those between the Tokara Strait and Kerama Gap (Amami and Okinawa) being the Central Ryukyus, and those south of the Kerama Gap (Miyako and Yaeyama) being the Southern Ryukyus.
The following are the grouping and names used by the Hydrographic and Oceanographic Department of theJapan Coast Guard.[5] The islands are listed from north to south where possible.
The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, another government organization that is responsible for standardization of place names, disagrees with the Japan Coast Guard over some names and their extent, but the two are working on standardization.[5] They agreed on February 15, 2010, to useAmami-guntō (奄美群島) for the Amami Islands; prior to that,Amami-shotō (奄美諸島) had also been used.[7]
The climate of the Ryukyu islands issub-tropical.[8] It is significantly warmer than the main islandsKyushu,Shikoku andHonshu.[8] There are occasionaltyphoons during the summer.[8] Winter temperature is mild with optimal clearness of the ocean water.[8]
The English and Japanese uses of the term "Ryukyu" differ. In English, the term Ryukyu may apply to the entire chain of islands, while in Japanese Ryukyu usually refers only to the islands that were previously part of theRyūkyū Kingdom after 1624.
Nansei-shotō (南西諸島) is the official name for the whole island chain in Japanese. Japan has used the name on nautical charts since 1907. Based on the Japanese charts, theinternational chart series usesNansei Shoto.[5]
Nansei literally means "southwest", the direction of the island chain relative to mainland Japan. Some humanities scholars prefer the uncommon termRyūkyū-ko (琉球弧, "Ryukyu Arc") for the entire island chain.[9] In geology, however, theRyukyu Arc includes subsurface structures such as theOkinawa Trough and extends to Kyushu.
During the American occupation of Amami, the Japanese government objected to the islands being included under the name "Ryukyu" in English because they worried that this might mean that the return of the Amami Islands to Japanese control would be delayed until the return of Okinawa. However, the American occupational government on Amami continued to be called the "Provisional Government for the Northern Ryukyu Islands" in English, though it was translated asRinji Hokubu Nansei-shotō Seichō (臨時北部南西諸島政庁, Provisional Government for the Northern Nansei Islands) in Japanese.[10]
The name ofRyūkyū (琉球) is strongly associated with theRyukyu Kingdom,[11] a kingdom that originated from the Okinawa Islands and subjugated the Sakishima and Amami Islands. The name is generally considered outdated in Japanese although some entities of Okinawa still bear the name, such as the localnational university.FC Ryukyu is the maximumfootball representative of the prefecture in theJapanese football league system and has played as high as the second-tierJ2 League.
In Japanese, the "Ryukyu Islands" (琉球諸島,Ryūkyū-shotō) cover only the Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands,[12] while in English it includes the Amami and Daitō Islands. The northern half of the island chain is referred to as theSatsunan ("South ofSatsuma") Islands in Japanese, as opposed to Northern Ryukyu Islands in English.
Humanities scholars generally agree that the Amami, Okinawa, Miyako, and Yaeyama Islands share much cultural heritage, though they are characterized by a great degree of internal diversity as well. There is, however, no good name for the group.[9][13] The native population do not have their own name, since they do not recognize themselves as a group this size.Ryukyu is the principal candidate because it roughly corresponds to the maximum extent of the Ryūkyū Kingdom. However, it is not necessarily considered neutral by the people of Amami, Miyako, and Yaeyama, who were marginalized under the Okinawa-centered kingdom.[13] The Ōsumi Islands are not included because they are culturally part ofKyushu. There is a high degree of confusion in use of Ryukyu in English literature. For example,Encyclopædia Britannica equates the Ryukyu Islands with JapaneseRyūkyū-shotō orNansei-shotō in the definition but limits its scope to the Amami, Okinawa and Sakishima (Miyako and Yaeyama) in the content.[14]
"Ryūkyū" is an exonym and is not a self-designation. The word first appeared in theBook of Sui (636). Its obscure description ofLiuqiu (流求) is the source of a never-ending scholarly debate about whether the name referred to Taiwan, Okinawa or both. Nevertheless, theBook of Sui shaped perceptions of Ryūkyū for a long time. Ryūkyū was considered a land ofcannibals and aroused a feeling of dread among surrounding people, from Buddhist monkEnchin who traveled to Tang China in 858 to an informant of theHyōtō Ryūkyū-koku ki who traveled to Song China in 1243.[15] Later, some Chinese sources used "Great Ryukyu" (Chinese:大琉球;pinyin:Dà Liúqiú) for Okinawa and "Lesser Ryukyu" (Chinese:小琉球;pinyin:Xiǎo Liúqiú) for Taiwan. Okinawan forms of "Ryūkyū" areRuuchuu (ルーチュー) orDuuchuu (ドゥーチュー) inOkinawan andRuuchuu (ルーチュー) in theKunigami language.[16][17] An Okinawan man was recorded as having referred to himself as a "Doo Choo man" during CommodoreMatthew C. Perry's visit to the Ryūkyū Kingdom in 1852.[18]
From about 1829 until the mid-20th century, the islands' English name was spelledLuchu,[19]Loochoo,Loo-choo,[19] orLewchew, all pronounced/ˈluːtʃuː/.[20] These spellings were based on the Okinawan formRuuchuu (ルーチュー),[21] as well as the Chinese pronunciation of the characters "琉球", which in Mandarin isLiúqiú.[22]
Uchinaa (沖縄),Okinawa in Okinawan, is originally a native name for the largest island in the island chain. The island was referred to asOkinawa (阿児奈波) in the 8th century biography ofJianzhen (唐大和上東征傳). It is also specified asOkinawa (おきなわ) in hiragana in the collection ofUmuru U Sōshi (おもろさうし), known as Ryukyu's official poetry book. It was not until the 18th century that Okinawa was specified in its own script as 沖縄.
The Japanese map series known as the Ryukyu Kuniezu lists the island asWokinaha Shima (悪鬼納嶋) in 1644 andOkinawa Shima (沖縄嶋) after 1702. The nameOkinawa Shima was chosen by the Meiji government for the new prefecture when they annexed the Ryukyu Kingdom in 1879.
Outside of Okinawa Prefecture, the word "Okinawa" is used to refer to Okinawa Prefecture and does not include Kagoshima Prefecture. (People from the Amami Islands, Kagoshima Prefecture object to being included in "Okinawa".) Inside Okinawa Prefecture, "Okinawa" is used to refer to Okinawa Island, and does not include the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands. People in the Yaeyama Islands use the expression "go to Okinawa" when they visit Okinawa Island.[13]
Some scholars group the Amami and Okinawa Islands together because in some respects (e.g. from a linguistic point of view) Amami is closer to Okinawa than to Miyako and Yaeyama, but there is no established single-word term for the group since the native population had not felt the need for such a concept.[13] Japanese scholars use "Amami–Okinawa"[23] while American and European scholars use "Northern Ryukyuan".[24]
The folkloristKunio Yanagita and his followers usedNantō (南島, "Southern Islands"). This term was originally used by the imperial court of Ancient Japan. Yanagita hypothesized that the southern islands were the origin of the Japanese people and preserved many elements that were subsequently lost in Japan. The term is outdated today.[13]
The first mention of the islands in Chinese literature occur in theRecords of the Grand Historian.Qin Shi Huang heard of "happy immortals" living on the Eastern Islands, so he sent expeditions there to find thesource of immortality, to no avail.[25][page needed] Based on Ryukyuan folklore onKudaka Island, some scholars believe that these expeditions succeeded in reaching Japan and launched a social and agricultural revolution there.[26] The Eastern Islands are again mentioned as the land of immortals in the Annals of theHan dynasty.
In 601, the Chinese sent an expedition to the "Country of Liuqiu" (流求國). They noted that the people were small but pugnacious. The Chinese could not understand the local language and returned to China. In 607, they sent another expedition to trade and brought back one of the islanders. A Japanese embassy was inLuoyang when the expedition returned, and one of the Japanese exclaimed that the islander wore the dress and spoke the language ofYaku Island.
The island chain appeared in Japanese written history as Southern Islands (南島,Nantō). The first record of the Southern Islands is an article of 618 in theNihonshoki (720) which states that people ofYaku (掖玖,夜勾) followed the Chinese emperor's virtue. In 629, the imperial court dispatched an expedition toYaku.Yaku in historical sources was not limited to modern-day Yakushima but seems to have covered a broader area of the island chain. In 657, several persons fromTokara (都貨邏, possiblyDvaravati) arrived at Kyushu, reporting that they had first drifted to Amami Island (海見島,Amamijima), which is the first attested use ofAmami.[27]
Articles of the late 7th century give a closer look at the southern islands. In 677, the imperial court gave a banquet to people from Tane Island (多禰島,Tanejima). In 679, the imperial court sent a mission to Tane Island. The mission carried some people from the southern islands who were described as the peoples of Tane, Yaku, andAmami (阿麻彌) in the article of 682. According to theShoku Nihongi (797), the imperial court dispatched armed officers in 698 to explore the southern islands. As a result, people of Tane, Yaku, Amami andDokan visited the capital (thenFujiwara-kyō) to pay tribute in the next year. Historians identifyDokan asTokunoshima of the Amami Islands. An article of 714 reports that an investigative team returned to the capital, together with people of Amami,Shigaki (信覺), andKumi (球美) among others.Shigaki should beIshigaki Island of the Yaeyama Islands. Some identifyKumi asIriomote Island of the Yaeyama Islands because Komi is an older name for Iriomote. Others consider thatKumi corresponded toKume Island of the Okinawa Islands. Around this time "Southern Islands" replaced Yaku as a collective name for the southern islands.[27]
In the early 8th century, the northern end of the island chain was formally incorporated into the Japanese administrative system. After a rebellion was crushed,Tane Province was established around 702. Tane Province consisted of four districts and covered Tanegashima and Yakushima. Although the tiny province faced financial difficulties from the very beginning, it was maintained until 824 when it was merged intoŌsumi Province.[28]
Ancient Japan's commitment to the southern islands is attributed to ideological and strategic factors. Japan applied to herself the Chinese ideology of emperorship that required "barbarian people" who longed for the great virtue of the emperor. Thus Japan treated people on its periphery, i.e., theEmishi to the east and theHayato and the Southern Islanders to the south, as "barbarians". The imperial court brought some of them to the capital to serve the emperor. TheNew Book of Tang (1060) states at the end of the chapter of Japan that there were three little princes ofYaku (邪古),Haya (波邪), andTane (多尼). This statement should have been based on a report by Japanese envoys in the early 8th century who would have claimed the Japanese emperor's virtue. At the site ofDazaifu, the administrative center of Kyushu, two wooden tags dated in the early 8th century were unearthed in 1984, which read "Amami Island" (㭺美嶋,Amamijima) and "Iran Island" (伊藍嶋,Iran no Shima) respectively. The latter seems to correspond toOkinoerabu Island. These tags might have been attached to "red woods", which, according to theEngishiki (927), Dazaifu was to offer when they were obtained from the southern islands.[27]
Sea routes used by Japanese missions to Tang China
The southern islands had strategic importance for Japan because they were on one of the three major routes used byJapanese missions to Tang China (630–840). The 702 mission seems to have been the first to successfully switch from the earlier route via Korea to the southern island route. The missions of 714, 733 and 752 probably took the same route. In 754, the Chinese monkJianzhen managed to reach Japan. His biographyTō Daiwajō Tōseiden (779) makes reference toAkonaha (阿兒奈波) on the route, which may refer to modern-day Okinawa Island. An article of 754 states that the government repaired mileposts that had originally been set in the southern islands in 735. However, the missions from 777 onward chose another route that directly connected Kyūshū to China. Thereafter the central government lost its interest in the southern islands.[27]
The southern islands reappeared in written history at the end of the 10th century. According to theNihongi ryaku (c. 11th–12th centuries),Dazaifu, the administrative center of Kyushu, reported that theNanban (southern barbarians) pirates, who were identified as Amami islanders by theShōyūki (982–1032 for the extant portion), pillaged a wide area of Kyūshū in 997. In response, Dazaifu ordered "Kika Island" (貴駕島,Kikashima) to arrest theNanban. This is the first attested use ofKikaigashima, which is often used in subsequent sources.[29]
The series of reports suggest that there were groups of people with advanced sailing technology in Amami and that Dazaifu had a stronghold onKikai Island. In fact, historians hypothesize that the Amami Islands were incorporated into a trade network that connected it to Kyūshū, Song China and Goryeo. In fact, theShōyūki recorded that in the 1020s, local governors of southern Kyūshū presented to the author, a court aristocrat, local specialties of the southern islands including theChinese fan palm, redwoods, and shells ofGreen Turban Shell. TheShinsarugakuki, a fictional work written in the mid-11th century, introduced a merchant named Hachirō-mauto, who traveled all the way to the land of the Fushū in the east and to Kika Island (貴賀之島,Kikanoshima) in the west. The goods he obtained from the southern islands included shells of Green Turban Shell andsulfur. TheShinsarugakuki was not mere fiction; the Golden Hall ofChūson-ji (c. 1124) in northeastern Japan was decorated with tens of thousands of green turban shells.[29]
Some articles of 1187 of theAzuma Kagami state thatAta Tadakage ofSatsuma Province fled to Kikai Island (貴海島,Kikaishima) sometime around 1160. TheAzuma Kagami also states that in 1188Minamoto no Yoritomo, who soon became theshōgun, dispatched troops to pacify Kikai Island (貴賀井島,Kikaishima). It was noted that the imperial court objected the military expedition claiming that it was beyond Japan's administration.[29] TheTale of the Heike (13th century) depicted Kikai Island (鬼界島,Kikaishima), whereShunkan, Taira no Yasuyori, andFujiwara no Naritsune were exiled following theShishigatani Incident of 1177. The island depicted, characterized by sulfur, is identified asIōjima of theŌsumi Islands, which is part ofKikai Caldera. Since China's invention ofgunpowder made sulfur Japan's major export, Sulfur Island orIōgashima became another representative of the southern islands. It is noted by scholars that the character representing the first syllable ofKikai changed fromki (貴, noble) toki (鬼, ogre) from the end of the 12th century to the early 13th century.[30]
The literature-based theory that Kikai Island was Japan's trade center of the southern islands is supported by the discovery of the Gusuku Site Complex in 2006. The group of archaeological sites on the plateau of Kikai Island is one of the largest sites of the era. It lasted from 9th to 13th centuries and at its height from the second half of the 11th to the first half of the 12th century. It was characterized by a near-total absence of the native Kaneku Type pottery, which prevailed in coastal communities. What were found instead were goods imported from mainland Japan, China and Korea. Also found was theKamuiyaki pottery, which was produced inTokunoshima from the 11th to 14th centuries. The skewed distribution of Kamuiyaki peaked at Kikai and Tokunoshima suggests that the purpose of Kamuiyaki production was to serve it to Kikai.[31]
Around theHōen era (1135–1141), Tanegashima became part of Shimazu Estate on southern Kyūshū. The Shimazu Estate was said to have established at Shimazu,Hyūga Province in 1020s and dedicated toKanpakuFujiwara no Yorimichi. In the 12th century, Shimazu Estate expanded to a large portion of theSatsuma andŌsumi Provinces including Tanegashima.[28]
Koremune no Tadahisa, a retainer of the Fujiwara family, was appointed as a steward of Shimazu Estate in 1185. He was then namedshugo of Satsuma and Ōsumi (and later Hyūga) Provinces by firstshōgunMinamoto no Yoritomo in 1197. He became the founder of theShimazu clan. Tadahisa lost power when his powerful relativeHiki Yoshikazu was overthrown in 1203. He lost the positions ofshugo andjitō and only regained the posts ofshugo of Satsuma Province andjitō of the Satsuma portion of Shimazu Estate. Theshugo of Ōsumi Province andjitō of the Ōsumi portion of Shimazu Estate, both of which controlled Tanegashima, were succeeded by theHōjō clan (especially its Nagoe branch). The Nagoe family sent the Higo clan to rule Ōsumi. A branch family of the Higo clan settled in Tanegashima and became theTanegashima clan.[28]
The islands other than Tanegashima were grouped as the Twelve Islands and treated as part of Kawanabe District, Satsuma Province. The Twelve Islands were subdivided into the Near Five (口五島/端五島,Kuchigoshima/Hajigoshima) and the Remote Seven (奥七島,Okunanashima). The Near Five consisted of the Ōsumi Islands except Tanegashima while the Remote Seven corresponded to the Tokara Islands. After theJōkyū War in 1221, thejitō of Kawanabe District was assumed by the HōjōTokusō family. The Tokusō family let its retainer Chikama clan rule Kawanabe District. In 1306,Chikama Tokiie created a set of inheritance documents that made reference to various southern islands. The islands mentioned were not limited to the Twelve but includedAmami Ōshima,Kikai Island andTokunoshima (and possiblyOkinoerabu Island) of theAmami Islands. An extantmap of Japan held by the Hōjō clan describes Amami as a "privately owned district". The Shimazu clan also claimed the rights to the Twelve. In 1227ShōgunKujō Yoritsune affirmedShimazu Tadayoshi's position as thejitō of the Twelve Islands among others. After the Kamakura shogunate was destroyed, the Shimazu clan increased its rights. In 1364, it claimed the "eighteen islands" of Kawanabe District. In the same year, the clan's head Shimazu Sadahisa gave his son Morohisa properties in Satsuma Province including the Twelve Islands and the "extra five" islands. The latter must be the Amami Islands.[32]
TheTanegashima clan came to rule Tanegashima on behalf of the Nagoe family but soon became autonomous. It usually allied with, sometimes submitted itself to, and sometimes antagonized the Shimazu clan on mainland Kyūshū. The Tanegashima clan was given Yakushima andKuchinoerabu Island by Shimazu Motohisa in 1415. In 1436, it was given the Seven Islands of Kawanabe District, Satsuma Province (the Tokara Islands) and other two islands by Shimazu Mochihisa, the head of a branch family.[33]
Tanegashima is known in Japanese history for the introduction of European firearms to Japan. Around 1543, a Chinese junk with Portuguese merchants on board was driven to Tanegashima. Tanegashima Tokitaka succeeded in reproducing matchlock rifles obtained from the Portuguese. Within a few decades, firearms, then known astanegashima, were spread acrossSengoku Japan.
Toyotomi Hideyoshi's reunification of Japan finalized the Tanegashima clan's status as a senior vassal of the Shimazu clan. It was relocated toChiran of mainland Kyūshū in 1595. Although it moved back to Tanegashima in 1599, Yakushima and Kuchinoerabu Island fall under the direct control of the Shimazu clan. These islands all constitutedSatsuma Domain during theEdo period.
The Amami Islands were a focal point for dispute between the southward-expanding Satsuma Domain and the northward-expanding Ryukyu Kingdom. In 1453, a group of Koreans were shipwrecked onGaja Island, where they found the island half under the control of Satsuma and half under the control of Ryukyu. Gaja Island is only 80 miles from Satsuma's capital atKagoshima City. It was noted by the Koreans that the Ryukyuans used guns "as advanced as in [Korea]".[34] Other records of activity in the Amami Islands showShō Toku's conquest of Kikai Island in 1466, a failed Satsuma invasion of Amami Ōshima in 1493, and two rebellions on Amami Ōshima during the 16th century. The islands were finally conquered by Satsuma during the 1609Invasion of Ryukyu. The Tokugawa shogunate granted Satsuma the islands in 1624. During the Edo Period, Ryukyuans referred to Satsuma's ships as "Tokara ships".
Various polities of the Okinawa Islands were unified as theRyūkyū Kingdom in 1429, a tributary state ofMing Imperial China. The kingdom conquered the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands. At its peak, it also subjected the Amami Islands to its rule. In 1609,Shimazu Tadatsune, Lord of Satsuma, invaded the Ryūkyū Kingdom with a fleet of 13junks and 2,500samurai, thereby establishingsuzerainty over the islands. They faced little opposition from the Ryukyuans, who lacked any significant military capabilities, and who were ordered by KingShō Nei to surrender rather than to suffer the loss of precious lives.[35] After that, the kings of the Ryukyus paid tribute to the Japaneseshōgun as well as to theChinese emperor. During this period, Ryukyu kings were selected by a Japanese clan, unbeknownst to the Chinese, who believed the Ryukyus to be a loyal tributary.[36] In 1655, the tributary relations between Ryukyu and Qing were formally approved by the shogunate.[37] In 1874, the Ryukyus terminated tribute relations with China.[38]
In 1872, the Japanese government established the Ryukyuhan under the jurisdiction of the Foreign Ministry. In 1875, jurisdiction over the Ryukyus changed from the Foreign Ministry to the Home Ministry.[38] In 1879, theMeiji government announced theannexation of the Ryukyus, establishing it asOkinawa Prefecture and forcing the Ryukyu king to move to Tokyo.[38] When China signed theTreaty of Shimonoseki after its 1895 defeat in theFirst Sino-Japanese War, China officially abandoned its claims to the Ryukyus.[38]
American military control over Okinawa began in 1945 with the establishment of theUnited States Military Government of the Ryukyu Islands, which became theUnited States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands in 1950. Also in 1950, the Interim Ryukyus Advisory Council (臨時琉球諮詢委員会,Rinji Ryūkyū Shijun Iinkai) was formed, which evolved into the Ryukyu Provisional Central Government (琉球臨時中央政府,Ryūkyū Rinji Chūō Seifu) in 1951. In 1952, the U.S. was formally granted control over Ryukyu Islands south of 29°N latitude, and other Pacific islands, under theSan Francisco Peace Treaty between the Allied Powers and Japan. The Ryukyu Provisional Central Government then became theGovernment of the Ryukyu Islands which existed from 1952 to 1972. Administrative rights reverted to Japan in 1972, under the1971 Okinawa Reversion Agreement.
Today, numerous issues arise from Okinawan history. Some Ryukyuans and some Japanese feel that people from the Ryukyus are different from the majorityYamato people. Some natives of the Ryukyus claim that the central government is discriminating against the islanders by allowing so many American soldiers to be stationed on bases inOkinawa with a minimal presence on the mainland. Additionally, there is some discussion ofsecession from Japan.[39] As theterritorial dispute between China and Japan over the Senkaku Islands intensified in the early 21st century,Chinese Communist Party-backed scholars published essays calling for a reexamination of Japan's sovereignty over the Ryukyus.[40] In 2013,The New York Times described the comments by said scholars as well as military figures as appearing to constitute "a semiofficial campaign in China to question Japanese rule of the islands", noting that "almost all the voices in China pressing the Okinawa issue are affiliated in some way with the government".[41] Taiwan also claims the Senkaku islands but made it clear on multiple occasions that they will not work with China over the Senkaku Islands dispute.[42][43]
An article in the 1878 edition of theGlobe Encyclopaedia of Universal Information describes the islands:[45]
Loo-Choo, Lu-Tchu, orLieu-Kieu, a group of thirty-six islands stretching from Japan to Formosa, in 26°–27°40′ N. lat., 126°10′–129°5′ E. long., and tributary to Japan. The largest, Tsju San ('middle island'), is about 60 miles long and 12 [miles] broad; others are Sannan in the [south] and Sanbok in the [north]. Nawa, the chief port of Tsju San, is open to foreign commerce. The islands enjoy a magnificent climate and are highly cultivated and very productive. Among the productions are tea, rice, sugar, tobacco, camphor, fruits, and silk. The principal manufactures are cotton, paper, porcelain, and lacquered ware. The people, who are small, seem a link between the Chinese and Japanese.[45]
During theMeiji Period, Ryukyuan ethnic identity, tradition, culture and language were suppressed by theMeiji government, which sought to assimilate the Ryukyuan people as Japanese (Yamato).[46][47][48][49][50][51] Many ethnic Japanese migrated to the Ryukyu Islands and mixed with the Ryukyuan people.
The residents of the island chain areJapanese citizens. Labeling them as Japanese poses no problem with regard to theŌsumi Islands andTokara Islands in the north, but there are problems about the ethnicity of the residents of the central and southern groups of the island chain.
Scholars who recognize shared heritage among the native population of the Amami, Okinawa, Miyako and Yaeyama Islands label them as Ryukyuans (琉球人,Ryūkyūjin). But nowadays, the residents of these Ryukyu Islands do not identify themselves as such, although they share the notion that they are somewhat different from Japanese, whom they call "Yamato" or "Naicha". Now, they usually express self-identity as the native of a particular island. Their identity can extend to an island and then to Japan as a whole, but rarely to intermediate regions.[citation needed]
For example, the people of Okinawa Island refer to themselves asUchinaanchu (ウチナーンチュ, people of Okinawa) and the people ofOkinoerabujima in theAmami Islands call themselves theErabunchu (エラブンチュ, people of Erabu), while referring to the Okinawans asUchinaanchu orNaafanchu (ナーファンチュ, people ofNaha), as they consider themselves distinct from the Okinawans.[13] Other terms used includeAmaminchu (アマミンチュ) andShimanchu (シマンチュ) in the Amami Islands,Yeeyamabitu (イェーヤマビトゥ) in theYaeyama Islands,Yunnunchu (ユンヌンチュ) onYoronjima andMyaakunchuu (ミャークンチュー) in theMiyako Islands.
The indigenous Ryukyuan religion is generally characterized byancestor worship (more accurately termed "ancestor respect") and the respecting of relationships between the living, the dead, and the gods and spirits of the natural world. Some of its beliefs are indicative of its ancientanimistic roots, such as those concerninglocal spirits and many other beings classified between gods and humans.
Roman Catholics are pastorally served by their ownRoman Catholic Diocese of Naha, which was founded in 1947 as the "Apostolic Administration of Okinawa and the Southern Islands".
Watase's Line marks a major biogeographic boundary. The Ōsumi islands north of the line belong to thePalearctic realm while the Amami islands south of it are at the northern limit of theIndomalayan realm. A deep undersea canyon, the Tokara Gap, lies to the east of the Tokara islands, but where the line crosses the island chain is disputed. It has been "placed betweenAkusekijima andKodakarajima islands of theTokara archipelago", but there is variation throughout the Tokaras, with multiple inter-island gaps having similar influence. Species diffusion among the Tokara islands is thought to have been over sea, not via land bridge, and their faunal composition also depends on other factors such as island size.[53]
Miyake's line for insects lies between Kyūshū and the Ōsumi island groups, and Hachisuka's line for birds between the Okinawa and Miyako groups.[54]
The coral-reef related porcelaneous larger foraminiferal speciesBorelis matsudai Bassi and Iryu, 2023 (Alveolinoidea,Borelinae) is based on specimens discovered in present-day shallow-water sediments fromSekisei Lagoon, southern Ryukyu Islands (Japan). This is the northernmost record of the genusBorelis in the western Indo-Pacific Warm Pool.[57]
^abcAjiro Tatsuhiko and Warita Ikuo,Waga kuni no kōiki na chimei oyobi sono han'i ni tsuite no chōsa kenkyū (The geographical names and those extents of the wide areas in Japan), Kaiyō Jōhōbu Gihō, Vol. 27, 2009.online editionArchived 2019-05-18 at theWayback Machine
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^Economy, Elizabeth C. (July–August 2017). "History With Chinese Characteristics: How China's Imagined Past Shapes Its Present".Foreign Affairs. Vol. 96, no. 4. New York:Council on Foreign Relations.
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